1980 Ducati Pantah SL500

In 1979, the new Ducati engine – called Pantah – debuts on the 500 twin-cylinder along with the first Trellis frame. The Pantah was the first Ducati to have belt-driven camshaft motors, thus forming the vanguard of the new generation of current Ducati V-twins.

One of the top bike magazines described the Pantah 500 as follows: "Nothing in the world is more powerful or faster than the Pantah." Designed by an unrivalled team of gurus - Taglioni, Mengoli, Bocchi and Martini - it was, by all accounts, one of the most successful bikes in Ducati production history. Successful in racing as the 600 cc TT2 and later TT1 750 cc racer, the Pantah was a lighter, shorter wheelbase motorcycle, in a new trellis frame that was to become a trademark Ducati feature.